If you need to pee for a urine test, or haven't urinated in several hours and are having trouble doing so, there are a few things you can do to make yourself go. These things include the consumption of certain drinks and foods, certain simple activities, and even professional medical treatments. Keep reading to learn more.

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Steps

Part 1 of 3: Eat and Drink

1

Drink more water. Increased fluid intake, in general, can make you urinate. Your kidneys have less to filter out when you drink plain water, so water can fill up your bladder fairly quickly, but not immediately.

Try to drink around 2 quarts (2 L) of water per day to regulate urine flow.

If you need to stimulate urine flow quickly, drink several glasses of water at once. Be aware, however, that it will still take a little time to kick in. The water has to travel through your stomach, kidneys, and ureters before it even reaches your bladder.

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2

Try cranberry juice or other fruit juices. Cranberry juice is a good choice if you have had trouble urinating over the past day or so. It cleanses your system and may strip away any impurities along the urinary tract that prevent consistent urine flow.

If you have trouble sipping on straight cranberry juice, you could drink a combination cranberry juice (cran-apple, etc.). You can also mix cranberry juice with caffeinated lemon-lime soda and let the caffeine in the soda act as a diuretic, as well.

Lemon juice is another fruit juice that can help stimulate urine production while clearing out the urinary tract.

3

Have a cup of coffee. Caffeinated beverages like coffee, tea, and soda are all natural diuretics, meaning that they cause your body to expel more fluid than it took in. If you need to pee quickly, a cup of coffee can be a quick, albeit temporary, solution.

Alcohol is another diuretic and will also prompt your kidneys to make more urine, so a glass of wine or a can of beer might help you pee pretty quickly.

Note, however, that both caffeine and alcohol can irritate the bladder, so if you overdo it, you can cause swelling that can make urination more difficult. A single serving should be fine, but try to limit it to that.

4

Eat a natural diuretic. There are some natural fruits and vegetables that naturally increase urine flow, as well. If you need to improve your urine flow after a few hours to a day of urine hesitancy or shy bladder, a diet rich in these vegetables can make a big difference.

Try an herbal diuretic. Some herbs naturally increase urine flow, as well. These herbs can be taken as teas or supplements, but take them in small doses to prevent yourself from accidentally dehydrating. For example, drinking sweet tea. If you've ever noticed, when you drink sweet tea, you have the urge to urinate a lot. This is one of the affects from an herbal diuretic. But, don't drink it too much, unless you will have a sugar problem or burning sensation when over using the bladder.

Part 2 of 3: Other Simple Tricks to Try at Home

1

Place a hot water bottle on your lower abdomen.[3] The heat source should be firmly pressed and held in place between the bellybutton and pubic bone. Keep it there for several minutes or until you feel the urge to use the restroom.

Heat relaxes muscles, and the muscles in your abdomen and bladder are no exception. When you place the a heat source in this area, you are placing it directly over the bladder, so the heat can be transmitted to the bladder muscles and cause them to relax enough to let go.

If you do not have access to a hot water bottle, you could also try a heating pad.

2

Sit in a bathtub of warm water. This tactic has an effect similar to the use of a hot water bottle, but the benefit of sitting in a warm bath is that it helps your entire body to relax. In turn, any muscles associated with your bladder muscles are calmed down alongside the bladder muscles themselves.

You can soak in the bathtub until the water starts to cool toward room temperature. Past that point, it will no longer accomplish much in terms of relaxing your bladder.

Rub the area slowly with your fingertips, pressing in a circular, downward motion.

This can be even more effective if done in a warm bath.

4

Listen to the sound of running water. This trick is simple, yet effective, as long as your bladder has not become too swollen. Simply turn on a faucet in the bathroom and listen to the water flow for a few minutes.

Change the speed of the running water as needed. Rapidly flowing water can stimulate some while others may feel more stimulation from the sound of dripping water.

If you have access to a fountain, this can be even more useful, since the sound of water running into other water tends to stimulate the bladder more rapidly than the sound of water running into a sink.

If you do not have access to a fountain but still want the same effect, listen to an audio recording of a babbling brook for a few minutes.

5

Change into looser clothes. While you might think that tighter pants will put more pressure on your bladder, forcing more urine out, you may only be causing more problems for yourself. This pressure can cause your bladder to swell, which will only make it more difficult to urinate.

6

Go for a walk. Exercise can stimulate urine flow. Exercising too much or too intensely can cause your body to sweat out most of its fluids, thereby making it harder to pee. Light exercise can actually help, though.

7

Sit in a cold room. For many individuals, cold temperatures increase urine frequency and volume. Spending a few minutes in a cold space can stimulate your bladder fairly quickly.

During cooler weather months, sitting outside or in a cold car for 10 minutes or so can be enough stimulation. For warmer weather months, look for a place with high air conditioning.

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Part 3 of 3: Professional Medical Help

1

Get a diagnosis from your doctor. If you have had urinary hesitancy or difficulty urinating for several days or weeks, you should consider making an appointment with your physician. There are several possible conditions that cause urinary hesitancy, and if you want to put an end to the problem altogether, the only way to do so is by treating the underlying cause.

Common causes behind urinary hesitancy can include:

Benign prostatic hyperplasia, also known simply as enlarged prostate

Prostatitis, or the inflammation and infection of the prostate

Urinary tract infection

Medication side effects

Shy bladder syndrome

Neurologic disorders

2

Treat an infection with antibiotics.[4] If your doctor tests your urine for bacteria and the test comes back positive, he or she may prescribe a course of antibiotics to get rid of a urinary tract infection.

Other symptoms that commonly accompany a urinary tract infection include pain with urination, cloudy urine, potent urine, or a sudden urge to urinate.

The first test usually used to diagnose a UTI is a lab analysis, during which a lab technician will examine the urine for the presence of white blood cells, red blood cells, or bacteria.[5]

Another common test used to diagnose a UTI is a urine culture. Your urine sample will be used to grow bacteria in a lab, which will reveal the type of bacteria present and allow your doctor to prescribe the most effective treatment.

If there is an abnormality causing the UTI, your doctor may create images of your urinary tract or use a scope to examine the issue more closely.

3

For men, ask about prostrate gland treatments. For older men, an enlarged prostate is the most common and likely culprit behind urinary hesitancy.[6]

Your doctor may prescribe a medication that directly shrinks enlarged prostate glands. These medications are called 5-alpha reductase inhibitors and include finasteride and dutasteride.

In severe cases, you may need a prostatectomy, or the surgical removal of your enlarged prostrate. This is usually used as a last resort, however.

4

Ask about alpha receptor blockers. These medications relax the muscles at the neck of the bladder, thereby improving internal urine flow.

Alpha receptor blockers are usually used for treating enlarged prostate problems, but they can also treat acute obstruction unrelated to the prostate, as well.

Common examples of alpha receptor blockers include terazosin, tamsulosin, doxazosin, and alfuzosin.

5

Talk to your doctor about diuretics. These medications are generally used to treat circulatory problems and are not often used to treat bladder problems, but they do increase urine flow.

Thiazide diuretics are usually used to treat high blood pressure because they cause your blood vessels to widen while limiting the retained fluids in your body.

Loop diuretics are more useful for the sake of increasing urination because they cause your kidneys to make more urine, thereby removing water and salt from your body.

Potassium-sparing diuretics are also useful for the sake of increasing urination because they do not influence your blood pressure but do aid your body in getting rid of excess fluids. They also prevent your body from losing potassium.

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Tips

If you frequently have difficulty urinating, you should try keeping a bladder diary to track the problem. Each day, write down how often you go to the bathroom and how much urine you pass each day. Also make a note of how often you leak urine throughout the day, if at all. You should use the bathroom once to twice a day on average and urinate about 1.5 quarts (1.5 L) each day.[8]

Singing to your "pee pee" about water or things related to water will actually make you want to urinate. It is still unknown why this works but some things must remain a mystery.

Warnings

If you experience complete inability to urinate, also known as urinary retention, you should seek emergency medical treatment. The emergency medical personnel will need to insert a catheter into your urethra to drain the bladder immediately, and you will need to have medical tests performed to determine the cause and proper course of treatment.[9]

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